Display rack or tray



q 6; 1 929. J. TACQOMA ET AL 1,707,130

nismu- RACK on TRAY Filed Dec. 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiGuD.

I roles V Jams CW A'W March 26 1929. TACOMA T 1,707,180

DISPLAY ex R TRAY Filed DecQi, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheejt 2 IN VEN TOE. S L/0HANNES TACOMA CAN/LLE VLEESCHOz/WER' 5v 6 r 4/ I rmeA/EY Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHANNES TACOMA AND CAMILLE DE-VLEESGHOUWER, AMSTERDAM, NETHER- LANDS.

DISPLAY RACK 0R TRAY.

Application filed December 1, 1926, Serial No. 151,950, and in Great Britain July 28, 1926.

The invention relates to display racks or trays which can be drawn forwards out of show cases or the like and which can then be rotated if desired. The racks may be constructed to carry garments, in which case rods are arranged on the rack, or for other objects whereby shelves may be arranged on brackets and rails fixed to the rack. Racks which can be pulled out and which can be revolved are known, but these racks have the disadvantage that they are very bulky and expensive, as they are not guided along a top rail and consequently the weight of the rack with the garments or other objects; hanging or placed on the racks cause an undesired vibration of the rack, so that the movement of the rack is very unsteady and makes it only suitable for the display of unbreakable articles.

The rack according to the invention avoids this drawback and the main principle of the invention is that when the rack is drawn forward out of the case there is automatically drawn forward along a certain distance a rail on which the rollers of the rack roll forward, when the rack is drawn out further to the end of said rail. It is obvious that where the rack resting on two or more rollers always finds a strongly held rail to run along during its path from the inside ofthe casing to its outmost position out of the case, it cannot jam and will always run smoothly "and easily. The top end of the main carry 1 ing bar of the rack is guided in the top part of the case, so that a smoothmovement of the main barparallel to itself is guaranteed. The invention may also be applied to a rack which is arranged to hang from a rail arranged in the top part of the show case. In this casethe rack is not supported at its lower end but hangs free from the above mentioned rail. In this construction also a rail is drawn forward together with the rack over which rail the rack continues its movement.

' In the accompanying drawings the invention is illustrated by way of example Figure 1 is a diagramamtic view of the rack in its innermost position, whereby the show case may be closed.

Figure 2 is a similarview of the rack as illustrated in Figure 1 but with the rack drawn so far forward that the sliding rail has reached its outermost position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, with the rack however drawn out to its outermost position.

Figure 4 is a side view of the guide foot of, the rack with a part of the guide rails.

Figure 5 is a side view seen from the left of Figure 4, not showing, however, the main carrying bar of the rack.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rear part of the main rigid rail and the slide rail placed adjacent to each other.

Figure 7 is a front view of the guide foot with the main rack bar constituting a side view of Figure 4.- seen from the right.

Figure 8 is a side view of the guiding arrangement for the top part of the rack Figure 9 is a section through the line IX-IX of Figure 8, and

Figure 10 is a side view of a construction of a rack suspended from a rail arranged in the top part of the casing.

In the casing 1 the main. rack bar 2 is arranged slidably with its upper and lower end in the casing. Said main rack, bar is provided with a grip 3 for drawing the rack forward by hand and with horizontal bars 4 connected by arms 5 to the main rack bar. The lower end. of the main rack bar 2 is rigidly connected to a body which may consist of two parallel bars 6 between the ends of which rollers 7 are arranged. The roll ers 7 rest on a combination of rails consisting of a slidable rail 8 and arigid rail 9. Said rail parts are adjacent to each other andthe rigid rail part 9 is so formed that it forms together with the sliding rail 8 a combined bar or rectangular section as shown in Figuresoand 6. The sidewardly extending part 10 of the rigidly mounted rail, however, does not extend all along the rail, but is partly cut away as shown in Figure 6 and the sliding rail 8 is provided with. a part 11 (Figure 6) which abuts against the end of the rail part 10 when the rails are entirely pushed together. One of the parallel bars 6 carrying the rollers is provided with a downwardly extending finger 12 and to this finger is pivoted a catch 13 with a rounded nose 14: and a tail-piece 15, while the sliding bar is provided Wlth a notch 16 in such a manner that when the rails are pushed together as shown in Figure 4 the catch 14 engages the notch 16 so that when the rack bar 2 is drawn forward (to the'right in Figure4) the sliding rail 8 will be drawn along with the guide foot. Now the extending part 10 of the rigid rail 9 isprovided with a notch 17 of slightly bent surface which extends in the path of the tail-piece of the catch 13, so that when the sliding rail 8 is'drawn so far forward that the tail-piece 15 engages the notch 17 the catch is lifted and the notch 16 is released so that, when the main rack bar with guide foot is drawn further forward (to the right), the slidingrail 8 will cease to be drawn forward and forms a rail for the wheels? of the guide foot. The apparatus g may be provided with means for allowing the main rack bar with arms 5 and carrying bars 6 to be rotated whereby means may be arranged for locking the main rack bar in 1ts position until it reaches its outermost position in which position a latch is withdrawn so that the main rack bar may be rotated. This mechanism is constructed in the following manner. J A downward extending arm 18 is rigidly connected to the foremost bar 6 of the guide foot. This bar carries a pivoted link19, the rear end of which is provided with a pin 20 engaging a slot 21 of an arm 22. Said arm is connected to a latch 23 which is under the pressure of a spring 24. In normal condition when the rack is not drawn out to its foremost position the catch 19 is free to turn about its e pivot so that the spring 24 presses the latch is Withdrawn from the locking piece 25. The

main rack bar which enters with a cylindrical pin 28 into the upwardly extending part 29 of the guide foot can then be rotated.

I Means must then be provided for allowing the upper part also.

When moving the rack with the guide foot backward the extending part 29 engages the ofthe main rack bar to rotate notch '49 (Figure 4) connectedto the sliding rail and brings the rail hack in its original position.

The top end of the main rack barmay be slidably connected in the following manner. As shown in Figure 8 a carrying rail 30 is "rigidly connectedto the case in such a manner. that above the rail there is left a certain space. Said rail may have an L-shaped cross section as shown in Figure 5) and a bar 31 may be connected to the short leg of the carrying rail 30 so that a slot is formed in which balls 83 are placed kept at certain distances by rigidly connected blocks 34. On these balls the sliding bar rests and to this bar the downwardly extending hearing for the upper part of the main rack bar is connected. This connection is preferably so constructed that the main rack bar can rotain' moment releasing the rail so that the guide foot, which hangs on the rails, can be drawn forward on the extending guide rail. This arrangement is shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. The guide foot Consists of the rollers 36 connected by two parallel plates 37. To these plates or to one of the plates bent arms 38 and. 39 are connected. Said arms carry a bar 40 from which the garments or other articles may depend. At the front end of said bar 40 a grip 41 is connected. The guide foot rests on a combined rail composed of a sliding rail '42 and a rigid rail 48 with extending part 43 constructed in exactly the same manner as the rail 9 with extending Tpart 11 and rail 8 heretofore described. 1e rigid rail is arranged rigidly in the upper part of the show case and is placed at sufficient distance from the cover of the case to allow the guide foot to pass. To the arm 38 a catch 44 of the same form and construction as the already described catch 18 is arranged. This catch 44 engages a notch 45 so that when i the guide foot is drawn forward by means of the grip 41 the catch 44 will draw the slidable rail 42 forward until the tailpiece of the catch 44 engages the notch 48 of the extending part 43 of the rigid rail. \Vhen the guide foot is drawn further forward the slidable rail ceases to move along with the guide foot but the latter runs along over the extending guide rail. hen the rack is pushed back the guidefoot first moves back over the ext-ending slidable rail and thereupon a notch 46 connected to the arm 39 of the guide foot engages a notch 47 connected to the slidable rail so that the slidablc rail is brought back into its original position whereby the catch 4'4 being lifted by the notch 45 engages again behind said notch 45.

What we claim is:

drawn forwards in a show case or the like, charactenzed in that the rack is mounted on a guide foot which rests on, a comblned rail a part of which is moved forward by the rigid rail is provided with a notch with slightly curved surface arranged at a certain distance from the rear end of the rigid rail which notch is engaged by the tail-piece of the catch when it is drawn forward with the guide foot and the slidable rail whereby the catch is lifted and the slidable rail is disengaged from the guide foot so that the latter with the rack can move to the end of the slidable rail which extends in front of the show case, the top end of the rack being arranged slidably in the same direction as the guide foot.

3. Display rack according to claim 1, comprising a spring-pressed latch arranged slidably in vertical direction on the up wardly extending part of the guide foot, said latch being provided with an arm in the end of which is a slot into which a pin of a link extends, said link being ivotally connected to a downwardly extenc ing arm of the guide foot, the spring tending to push the latch upward into a locking piece connected to the lower end of the main rack bar which end is pivotally connected to the upwardly extending part of the guide foot, while at the end of the slidable rail a lateral extending pin is arranged which lifts the front end of the catch when the guide foot is in its outermost position on the slidable rail thereby disengaging the latch from the locking piece and allowing the rack to be revolved.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

J OHANNES TACOMA. CAMILLE or VLEESCHOUWER. 

